Adventures In BandiSitting
by mcp100
Summary: Come one, come all to the suspiciously-anticipated "Dr. N. Tertainment & The N. Tertainers" Circus event in Wumptropolis! We got so much fun stuff in store, including a very special animal performance dedicated to a popular Australian species: Bandicoots! So come on down, you're all invited, even a certain mutant bandicoot hero is welcome as VIP! I hope you're ready fur this...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**D**riving on the Tasmanian roads of Australia with an old-school motorcycle & some old-school biker attire is usually a testament to living wild & carefree. It's even more wild, however, when you're a...bandicoot?! While that may sound like an unusual case, it's definitely not for Crash. Though instead of the usual gleefully speeding down the road at fur-flying speeds with the tongue flapping out of the mouth & whatnot, more pressing matters are at hand- or rather, paw. Word's gotten out that a local eatery/entertainment place known as "Dingo's Diner Bar n' Grill" is dabbling in shady business tactics. Crash has been tasked with getting the building investigated & possibly shut down.

Now, at this point, you may still be stuck on, "Why the heck is a bandicoot riding a motorcycle?", &/or "What even is a bandicoot anyway?". To answer your questions, a bandicoot is a small marsupial native to Tasmania & southern Australia; In Crash's case, his species is specifically the eastern-barred bandicoot (_Perameles gunnii)_. & as you may have guessed, Crash here, is no ordinary bandicoot. You'll see more proof of that later on...

Walking into the bar & simply putting a stop to the illegal activity won't be any cakewalk. The individuals who inhabit the diner/bar on a regular basis have some history with Crash. Criminal history. The bar is run by the owner, Dingodile, who as the name suggests, is actually a cross between a dingo & a crocodile, & he's quite the pyromaniac. Nowadays, he works the "barbie" to stay out of trouble, much like the other baddies in the restaurant. Then there's Pinstripe Potoroo, a gun-wielding mafia gangster-wannabe who plays pool while his girlfriend Tawna watches from the sidelines. She is also a bandicoot that has history with Crash, but more on that later. The bar part of the establishment is usually inhabited by Tiny The Tasmanian Tiger & Koala Kong, two ginormous brutes who lack in the brain department.

They along with others usually nag & belittle the bartender, Nitrus Brio, or who they refer to as, N. Brio, or the little guy. Previously, he worked as a mad scientist, & his achievements were well-rooted in mutagenic science. Some say he paved the way for anthropomorphic animals becoming a thing today. But alas, most of that credit falls onto Brio's partner & superior, Dr. Neo Cortex. They all looked up to Cortex as the perfect candidate for achieving world domination through an army of super-animals; all made possible thanks to a contraption known as the "Evolvo-Ray", something that, unbeknownst to everyone, Brio actually had more of a hand in.

Which brings us back to Crash, who finally arrives outside the building. He parks his hot-rod ride & proceeds to make his way in. Meanwhile the oblivious baddies are about their business. Tiny, however, makes his business known to everyone with his rather-limited diction.

"Uhhhhgh.", he moans loudly. "Tiny might've had too much drink. Feeling a bit, funny."

Pinstripe, being the typical snide-gangster in a suit, offers somewhat good advice.

"That's why you should slow your role, big guy.", he says as he pockets an 8-ball. "Too much is never a good bet."

Then Tawna asks with sarcastic curiosity, "Jeez, what did he have this time?".

"Lemonade.", says Pinstripe. "The usual. Hehehe!"

Just then, Bullhog, who is another hybrid mutant, starts to get impatient that his drink isn't ready, & so he starts to get furious with Brio.

"It's been a half-hour n' he's still in there brewin'! What's the hold up, Brio?", he then asks.

Brio nervously responds to him with assurance, "Uh, I-I-I'm just adding the finishing t-t-touches, Bullhog. It'll be ready s-s-soon, hehe."

"Good.", says Bullhog. "All that rod-rippin' made me dry like the desert. Soon as I fill back up, it's back to the roa-"

But before he could finish, Crash opens up the bar doors & smoothly walks in as they swing back behind him. Everyone in the building stops what they're doing & sees the silhouette of the confident bandicoot. Wearing a black leather biker-jacket with white faux-fur along with a signature "C" stitched onto the back, Crash prepares to take off his sunglasses & make his move, but before he could do that, the bar doors swing back & knocks him forward. He falls onto his long snout, & what was supposed to be a smooth entry turns into a minor setback. I say minor setback because this wild animal always quickly gets back up after misfortune comes his way, despite his often goofy nature. The baddies start to ready themselves for a fight.

"Or, I guess I can stay for a few more minutes…", Bullhog finishes from earlier.

"Oh, C-C-C-Crash Bandicoot! What brings you here?", says Brio in a nervous manner.

"Whatever it is, he messed up my game!", yells an annoyed Pinstripe. He takes out his tommy-gun & says, "Walk right back out before I swiss-cheese you, bandipunk!"

Tawna interrupts, "Now wait a minute, you guys don't need to-"

"Tiny no like Crash! Crash got Cortex arrested. Tiny like Cortex!"

"N-n-now, fellas-", says Brio.

"Stow it, Brio!", goes Pinstripe. "We takin' out the trash. Unless this sucka heeds my advice..."

Just then, smoke comes from the kitchen. Dingodile comes out & tries to fan it out.

"WHEW! That baby's a mean one!", he shouts. "Who ordered the- ey. What's this doof doin' 'ere, mates?"

"GUYS!", yells a scared & concerned Tawna.

Crash stares at Pinstripe with the face of determination, ready for anything he throws at him.

"Wrong answer! Say goodnight, Crashie-boy!"

Tawna chimes in again, "But he didn't even-"

Gun sounds- ***RATATATATATATATA***

Pinstripe, being the "level-headed" guy he is, sends bullets ablaze at Crash, who quickly jumps behind a table & knocks it over to cover him.

"Dang it! Shoulda carried more ammo today…", he mumbles to himself.

Crash takes a plate & throws it at the string holding the bar light above Pinstripe. It gets sliced & the light falls onto him, taking him out of the equation. Tawna comes to his aid.

"Oooh, baby I told you that wasn't a bright idea.", she says.

Pinstripe moans as he's on the floor in agony. "Uhhhhgh…"

"Tiny no hurting from brain-freeze anymore. TINY SMASH CRASH!"

"Hehehe", agrees Koala Kong, as both he & Tiny get up from their seats.

Koala Kong breaks off parts of the chair he was sitting in & throws both at Crash, who dodges both by sliding under. Once he gets up, he uppercuts Kong & knocks him over the bar-counter, smashing all of the drinks behind & barely missing Brio in the process.

"H-h-hey now! Take it easy out there!", he shouts.

Tiny picks Crash up with both of his hulking-hands & prepares to slam him on the concrete ground, but Crash has other plans. He twists his body around & unleashes a devastating spinning-punch attack on Tiny's head, stunning him completely. It's pretty much his signature move.

"D'OW. TINY GOT BRAIN-PAIN AGAIN!"

Tiny runs into the bar-counter. His huge body causes more drinks & bottles to fall, much to Brio's dismay. Some of the substances get on him.

"Oh, this is n-n-not good…"

Crash turns around & scowls at Bullhog, who actually doesn't want any of this action.

"Hey, I was just leavin'!" he goes out of the bar.

"That's it!", proclaims Dingodile, who brings out his trusty flamethrower.

"G'day, Crash! Remember this beauty? You're gonna become the newest menu-item: Barbeque-Bandicoot!"

"Uh oh", says Crash. Look! He said his first-word! Again!

Dingodile aims the flamethrower in Crash's direction & shouts, "Everyone out of the way!"

"OH GOD! WATCH OUT, CRASH!", screams Tawna.

Dingodile unleashes a powerful blast from his flamethrower. Soon, nothing but flames engulf where Crash stands, & it seems that the bandicoot is one-&-done.

"Heh, wish I could've done that sooner!", says Dingodile smugly.

But, as the smoke clears, Crash is shown to still be alive & well, as he is protected by a force field thanks to a friend of his known as Aku Aku. Aku Aku is a witch-doctor spirit who has guided Crash on multiple adventures. He helps Crash when the going gets tough.

Dingodile gets annoyed at Crash's persistence. "Oh, for the love of-"

Aku Aku says, "Give up now, Dingodile. This can still go peacefully."

"Not a chance! You won't take my business down!"

Dingodile fires his flamethrower again, but Crash jumps over this time & lands on the bar-counter. He & Aku Aku see that something is happening with Brio, something they're all too familiar with.

"Oh no.", says Aku Aku.

Brio is seen struggling to keep control of himself, as his body starts to hulk-out, thanks to the liquids that he accidentally digested: mutagen. Suddenly, the danger shifts to Brio, or Monster Brio in this scenario. He's now bigger than both Tiny & Koala Kong combined, & he goes on an absolute rampage, tearing the place down piece by piece.

"**RRRRROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR"**

Crash has barely survived with Monster Brio the first time they fought, so the best he could do was get out of the way for now. Brio knocks over Dingodile, who still has his flamethrower backpack equipped. The rest of the bad guys escape the building, but Tiny runs back to get more lemonade & leave. However, Tawna is left behind. The falling debris blocks her path, so she desperately tries to find another way out, but alas, there is none. Crash swoops by & saves her by teleporting outside from a safe distance, with the help of Aku Aku, of course. Dingodile's flamethrower begins to sound off with sirens, which is not a good sign.

"Ah, crikey. Not again."

***KABOOOOM***

**-(Moments Later)-**

Thanks to Brio's ultimate destruction & Dingodile's flamethrower malfunction, the whole bar is now in ruins, & Dingo's Diner is a Done Deal. The police soon show up to arrest the baddies, & Tawna expresses her gratefulness to Crash.

"Thanks for saving me again, Crash.", she says as she picks him up to hug him. "You've always had a spot in my heart."

"D'aww!", goes the blushy bandicoot.

"Tawna, you should come with us.", states Aku Aku. "Pinstripe isn't a good guy to be around for you. You need to be surrounded by, well, more positive people."

"It's...complicated with me & him.", she replies. "I'm trying to keep him out of trouble…"

Just then, Pinstripe is seen struggling with the police.

"Hey, getcha hands off me! Tawna! I love you, bae! This ain't over, Crash! Not by a longshot!"

Tawna then responds, "...but I guess he lives for that."

Brio is then seen being back to normal. He takes a look around at the damage he caused.

"Well, there goes my t-t-t-tending bar dream. Oh well."

"You were dabbling in mixing mutagen with the drinks being sold at the bar.", says Aku Aku Why?"

"I'll t-t-tell you why! I was sick of working with those Cortex-worshipping j-j-jerks, hehe! Always bossing me around & b-b-b-belittling me & whatnot! I got enough of that from C-C-C-Cortex himself! So I sabot-t-taged the drinks so that complaints from the locals would get you guys' attention! & Now here we are, I'm free, hehehe!"

Crash & Aku Aku look at each other with intense confusion.

"Okay?", says Aku Aku. "But you still need to face serious charges for this. You know that, right?"

"Eh, it's worth it!", Brio proclaims. "At least I'll f-f-f-finally have some peace & quiet to myself for once, hehe! Later, Crash! Thanks for getting me arrested!"

Crash dumbfoundedly waves goodbye to Brio as he runs off & even offers to be put into the police car.

"I think that mutagen has finally driven that man BEYOND mad, Crash." Aku Aku says. "Cortex's _N. Fluence _still continues to go about even when he's behind bars. Hopefully he'll stay there for a long time, though."

The police officers assure their handling of the aftermath to the heroes.

"Don't worry! We got these goons all handcuffed & ready to be put behind bars! Thanks for the help, Crash Bandicoot!"

Crash raises two thumbs up in response. Yeah, as you may have guessed, he's not really much of a talker. His evolution process with Cortex kind of did a number on his brain, but that hasn't stopped him from achieving so much & getting the job done, as evidenced here!

Due to the smoke still not clearing from the destruction Brio caused, the police officers are actually unable to be seen clearly. Their rather suspicious behavior & familiar silhouettes is also a cause for slight concern amongst Crash & Aku Aku. But nevertheless, their work here is done, so he says to him,

"Great work here today, Crash. I guess it's time for us to go home now. You can finally get those hours of sleep we 'stole' from you, haha.", he finishes jokingly.

Crash winks at Aku Aku & revs up his motorbike. He gives Tawna a kiss on the cheek before riding back off into the sunrise. Aku Aku says one more thing to Tawna.

"Just think about it, Tawna. You deserve so much better."

After Crash & Aku Aku take off down the road, Tawna sees a poster on a wooden street-light post that showcases an upcoming carnival event called: _**"Dr. N. Tertainment & The N. Tertainers!**_" There's also a message that says _**"Bandicoots Wanted!"**_

This peaks Tawna's curiosity. "_Hmmm…_", she says.

Elsewhere farther down the road, Crash gleefully speeds down the road at fur-flying speeds with the tongue flapping out of the mouth & whatnot. Yes, this is the life of Crash, an extraordinary bandicoot with extraordinary adventures. He's done it all: Fighting mad scientists, running from boulders, traveling through time & space, competing in lethal racing competitions for the fate of the Earth, there's nothing that Crash can't do.

**He's ready fur anything….**

_(& yes, fur is intentional)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"**But, I can tell you're not ready for **_**this**_**."**

"**All these crazy exploits & adventures that you've been on, but you've let one important thing mess you up."**

"**Now, I'm only going to ask you, one last time."**

"**Where. Is. My laptop battery?."**, says Crash's younger sister, Coco.

"Zzzzz", goes an oblivious & sleeping Crash. Annoyed by her older brother's heavy sleeping & ignoring her, Coco decides to take matters physically.

She yells, "ANSWER ME!", as she lays down a slug on Crash's belly.

"AHH!", screams the now woken male bandicoot. Coco frantically tries to scavenge the bandicoot household to find the battery for her pink laptop.

"I mean, seriously, it can't even be in that hard of a spot to find this time.", she claims. "It has to be somewhere in this house. Help me find it, Crash. Please."

Crash, still tired & worn out from his previous adventure, reluctantly tries to help his sister with her search.

"Wait a minute…ha!", Coco yells. "This whole time, the battery was under you in between the couch cushions?! One of our pets must've moved it again. Ugh, probably Baby T, that rowdy little dino, he thinks everything shaped like this is a bone."

Coco recovers the laptop battery & inserts it back into the bottom slot to turn it on.

"Well, at least it wasn't anywhere in the jungle this time. I still question to this day how a battery could end up in the middle of the jungle…"

While booting up her laptop, something crosses her mind.

"...Oh, & speaking of pets, have you been taking care of Polar lately?"

"Mmhmm.", Crash nods yes while still laying down, trying not to pay any mind.

"Oh really?", says Coco. "Because he still has a cold!"

After turning her computer screen on, she pulls up a diagram for the ironically-sickly polar bear, & shows Crash.

"Look, none of the remedies I've looked up worked so far; he doesn't want any soup, nor does he want to be near any source of warmth."

Crash scratches his head. Not even in his mute nature can he even give an excuse by expression.

"I mean, come on.", Coco says. "Pura & Baby T are doing a better job caring for him right now than you are. *sigh*, I know sometimes you get tired from saving the world, but you still have responsibilities at home. Our 'un-evolved' friends look up to us. Dr. Cortex may have been put away, but his ideals are still being practiced by the up-&-coming mad scientists today. The environment is never safe. We need to look after all of our little friends out there."

"You don't want anything to happen to Polar, do you?"

Crash ponders for a bit as he picks up the remote to change the channel.

_*Changes channel*_

"Introducing Wumpa Whip from-"

_*Changes channel*_

"Dr. Neo Cortex-"

_*Changes channel*_

"He is UGLY."

Coco quickly shouts, "Wait! Go back! They're talking about _him_!"

As Crash & Coco see a quick glimpse of Cortex on the screen, Coco grabs the remote & quickly changes back to the previous channel. "You can catch that dragon program another time, this could be an important update!"

"_We now have an important update on the __**N. Carceration**__ of the evil mad scientist Dr. Neo Cortex. Sources tell us that he's currently in the process of being transported to a maximum-security prison. His henchmen, who were found at a now defunct bar/grill establishment, are also being detained, thanks to the always welcomed efforts of Crash Bandicoot."_

"Ya big showoff, hehe.", Coco says jokingly as she bumps Crash, who smiles all cocky-like.

"_One can hope that this will put the kibosh on his villainous endeavors."_

"_Let's hope it does. I for one am glad this big-headed loser won't be causing us anymore trouble. He's endangered the vast environments, experimented on poor animals, & overall tried to doom the whole planet on multiple occasions. You can tell he was picked on a lot when he was a kid, that N on his forehead probably stands for 'nerd' or something. Thank goodness for that crazy-son-of-a-gun Crash Bandicoot, man I love that guy. His games are great, too! You ever play them, Kelly?"_

"_I- my son has the games. We, probably shouldn't stray away from the topic…"_

"_Right right, my apologies. Let's just focus on the now: a more peaceful society, & some beautiful weather, we got Ryan with…"_

Suddenly, Coco receives a message on her computer. It's from Aku Aku.

"Hey, I think Aku Aku found some herbs for Polar in the jungle. The 'magic communication-thingy' that he does got through to me, he needs you down there. In the meantime, I'm going to go check on Polar. PURA, BABY T, DON'T GET TOO CLOSE!"

Coco walks away after giving Crash the news. She goes to check on Polar, along with Pura & Baby T. Afterwards, before Crash could get up, a commercial pops onto the TV screen that immediately grabs his attention.

"_Come one, come all! Howdy, folks! It's your neeeew favorite clown, Dr. N. Tertain, here with an N. SAAAANE ANNOUNCEMENT! Come join the show with me & the rest of my N. Tertaining crew at the local Wumptropolis carnival! See the N. Credible Mr. Noah Visible, & then don't see him, hueheheh! A very cunning-chameleon! Also, witness the craftiness of the N. Tense Ms. Net Trap. What lucky contestants will step up to solve her glorious trap-puzzles? & last but not least, ho-ho, we got a special guest who will help shape The N. Tertaining Final Act!"_

Crash, now angered, has heard enough of this obvious bandicoot-hero-bait. He gets up & heads out, but unfortunately he misses some crucial information...

"_**We also have a specific Australian animal species who will be N. Tegral to the whole experience…"**_

Before Crash takes a step out of the front-door, Coco stops him for one last thing.

"Hey, I almost forgot. I finished working on the 'Bandroid' prototype; yeah, I'm definitely copyrighting that. But, anyway It's a mobile phone, only I added in some sweet new special features specifically tailored to help you out on your adventures whenever you need it. So say you need something like, a specific gadget, this phone will automatically send the request to my lab, & then the gadget will be teleported straight to you! Pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Whooo!", goes Crash.

The two bandicoot siblings access the phone's special features together, & the first thing Crash wants to see more of is the gadget option. There's so many that he's used over the years, but there's one in particular that Coco sees catch his eyes the most.

"Oh, that one's still in the testing stages.", she explains. "I don't really know what I'm going to use it for, but I can say that it can work on almost anything to anyone! It'll prove to be very useful!"

"Ooooh.", says Crash, intrigued.

"For now, though, you need keep this phone on you at all times. I'll text you to check in on you & you can text me back with- uhh..."

Coco almost forgets about her big brother's limited vocabulary, as he can't really read or write all that well. Fortunately, Crash comes across a tab in the message app for emojis.

"Yeah, the CrashMoji app! I guess that can work as communication!"

The siblings hug each other immensely, after that, it's time for Crash to get going.

"Alright, see you later on, big bro! Love you!"

**-(Moments Later)-**

The mighty marsupial makes his way through the jungle to catch up with Aku Aku. It's the usual exercise routine for him: Run, jump over pits, avoid water, dodge boulders, & destroy carnivorous piranha plants along the way. Finally, he reaches a small temple where Aku Aku resides. A panting Crash makes his way up the steps & meets him.

"Ah, Crash! There you are. I was just stumbling across some herbs that may help Polar overcome his sickness, until I found something else for that you may want to look into."

Crash's heavy-breathing immediately starts to go away. A huge smile develops, as he guesses that Aku Aku is referring to the suspiciously-evil circus in Wumptropolis that was in the news.

"Now, this is a great task that requires great responsibility, & it's something that only someone like you can be given great faith in."

The excitement & curiosity stemming from within Crash starts to increase after hearing Aku Aku's words.

"Crash…"

Crash nods his head like a happy dog, paying great mind & wondering what's coming.

"This...is a regular bandicoot."

"Eh?", goes Crash as his smile turns all the way upside down. Much to his disappointment, Aku Aku introduces him to a small, un-evolved bandicoot, rather than a task that he was expecting.

"I found it scared & panting very hard in a burrow. The poor thing must be in danger. I want you to look after it while I try to look into what's going on. I have a feeling that there's more at play here."

He gives the bandicoot to Crash. Once it's in his arms, it begins to relieve all of its fears & becomes comfortable & happy.

"Aw, look! He likes you already!", says Aku Aku.

Crash puts on a fake smile & casually gives up two thumbs. Secretly, he obviously isn't having any of it.

"Take him back with you to the house, along with the herbs of course. I'll join up with you later after I find out who is its tormentor.", are Aku Aku's last words before disappearing.

So now, the mutant bandicoot is left with the normal bandicoot. The normal bandicoot continues to cuddle upon his new protector & chatter with glee.

Meanwhile, the mutant bandicoot is dumbfounded that he's been given a job that he deems unimportant.

**I guess he's not ready fur this**_**, **_**after all.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

An intense stare down between Crash & his smaller, more normal counterpart ensues for a couple minutes on hand, or rather, paw. Contrasting the bigger bandicoot's frustration is the glee of the normal, little bandicoot. Fortunately for Crash, an idea pops into his head. Suddenly his frustration goes away & in comes the big grin, as he comes up with a way to rid himself of the little bandicoot.

He spots a tree filled with Wumpa fruit. Wumpa fruit is a special kind of fruit that all the bandicoots are crazy for. Crash walks up to the tree & gives the trunk a slight kick, & doing so causes a single fruit to fall from the branches. He catches it & shows it off to the little bandicoot. The mesmerized marsupial turns its attention to the fruit, its snout & beady eyes follows every direction that Crash moves it in with his hand. Then, like a puppy, the little bandicoot stands up on twos as Crash raises the Wumpa fruit like a ball. He gets into throwing position & launches the fruit in a farther direction away from himself. The normal little bandicoot lets out an eager chirp before running off to catch the airborne fruit as it lands into some bushes.

"Hehehe!", goes a conniving Crash.

While the critter is occupied, Crash begins to make his getaway further into the jungle.

After he gains some distance from his smaller counterpart, he starts to feel comfortable again & begins to focus back on heading to Wumptropolis to get to the bottom of the N. Tertaining Circus situation. As he's walking with swagger, a Wumpa fruit unbeknowingly comes rolling down a small hill & rolls right into the next step that Crash takes, causing him to slip.

"WOOOAH", he yells as he falls into some mud.

Things couldn't go anymore south for Crash, could they?

Attempting to collect himself, Crash raises his head from out of the mud & tries his best to shake off the substance from his mohawk & his furry-face. Annoyed, he looks behind him to see & wonder where a random Wumpa fruit came from. Before he could even think, however, a familiar face returns into his sight.

"Grrrrr!", mutters Crash.

Judging by Crash's anger, you could probably guess who it is…

The little bandicoot is under the impression that Crash is playing catch with it, so it happily pushes the ball with it's cute little nose in hopes that Crash will continue playing.

But Crash has already had enough. In bandicoot-belligerence, he picks up the little bandicoot. Weirdly enough, the small & giddy creature still shows affection for its mutated new master. The little bandicoot bops the big bandicoot on his nose, which makes Crash roll his eyes.

But, from above in the crowded trees & hanging vines, lurks a shadowy, feline figure that stalks both bandicoots. It's eyes are focused on the potential prey, & it continues its wait. While Crash continues to hold the little bandicoot like it's on punishment, he begins to notice leaves dropping around him. His anger turns into concern when he hears rustling, & worse, he then hears growling. The little bandicoot's hair stands on its body as it starts to become afraid once again. Suddenly, a noise occurs from behind Crash. It sounds as if something, or someone has dropped into some bushes. Curious, he walks over to investigate. He hesitantly reaches over to spread the bushes to see what lurks behind them, but alas, nothing is there. Sighing with slight relief, Crash takes a few steps back & shrugs it off, but not before receiving a pouncing surprise.

"RRAAAAAHHHRR!"

The mysterious figure finally reveals herself to Crash in a ferocious manner. The figure in question is a South China Tigress. She pins him to the ground & leans over him to aggressively stare him down into his green eyes with her blue eyes. She gets so close to Crash's face that his long-nose gets pushed back between his eyes. A slight growl from the feline is enough to send the little bandicoot into a panic, & it actually gets Crash mad when he witnesses it. The tigress prepares to strike with her claws, but not before Crash can get her off by using both his feet to kick her away. She gets knocked back, but she sticks her landing, much like any agile cat would. Crash gets back up as well, & orders his smaller counterpart to get behind him. After a few seconds of analyzing her prey, the tigress charges at the bandicoots as fast as a race car would, barely giving Crash any time to dodge out of the way. Unfortunately, he gives way to the frightened little bandicoot. The tigress reaches out to it to grab it, making the critter scream. Thankfully, Crash intervenes by grabbing her. A scuffle ensues with Crash holding her from behind. While the furious feline tries to scratch & claw her way out of his grasp, Crash, for the most part, evades his head from her attacks.

"GRRAH!", she growls. "I won't let you hurt that poor little marsupial!"

"HUH?!", Crash replies dumbfounded.

The tigress finally speaks. & it appears that everything is not what it seems...

She replied, "Don't play dumb with me! You're another one of Cortex's henchmen! I've seen another bandicoot that was bigger & he was doing the same thing you're guilty of doing!"

"UH-UH!", Crash quickly reiterates.

Things get even more weird for Crash & even the little bandicoot. The one thing that stood out from the tigress's statement was the fact that there's a bigger bandicoot out there, & is most likely working for Cortex, based on what she said. Anxious for more answers, Crash lets go of the agitated tigress & throws up his hands as a means of surrender.

She then looks back to him with a smirk. "Wrong move, bandicon-artist!", she says.

She catches Crash off-guard once again by tripping him over with her tail. This time, she picks up the little bandicoot & places her foot at Crash's throat as he attempts to get up.

"Don't worry, little guy. You're safe now!", she assures the little bandicoot. "The bad, big bandicoot can't hurt you anymore."

The little bandicoot is seen struggling to break free of her grasp. It then tries to communicate through sign-language to the tigress to point out the situation with Crash.

"What's that?", she asks. "He actually _WAS_ protecting you?"

The tigress stops to ponder for a bit. She finally takes her foot off of Crash's throat, leaving him to get back up coughing. Oddly, she's not only thinking about Crash & the smaller bandicoot, but something else is wrong. The tigress can feel something in the soil, something that's surrounding both her & Crash.

"Wait- hang on a second…"

Just then, something unexpected happens.

Out of nowhere, a giant net captures both the tigress & Crash, trapping them both & hanging them close together in an uncomforting matter. The little bandicoot, however, is still freed. Not knowing what to do, it frantically looks all around to see who's responsible.

The culprit slowly walks into the scene, & it's revealed to be none other than _The N. Tense Ms. Net Trap_, but we'll just call her, Dr. N. Trap.

"It's seems that you _both_ lack the responsibility when it comes to looking after the defenseless animals of this island, no?"

The dastardly woman taunts her enemies with a thick Russian-accent as she picks up squirming the little bandicoot.

"_YOU_! Let me outta here! I'LL KILL YOU!", the tigress yells.

"No matter. This little creature is sure to be safe with me. Come now, little one. We have a show to do!"

The Russian female scientist walks off with the little bandicoot & places it in a small cage. She loads it up into a circus vehicle & drives off into the jungle, leaving both Crash & the tigress hanging, literally, in a net-trap.

"Poka!", yells N. Trap as she drives off.

_(So long)_

Suddenly, Crash receives a text message on his phone. It's from Aku Aku, he's using that "magic communication-thingy" he did with Coco earlier.

"Hello, my son! How are things with the little bandicoot?"

….

Crash appears to be too tied-up at the moment to leave an auto-reply saying, **"I'm a bit tied up at the moment."**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Thanks to the works of the new evil scientist known as Dr. N. Trap, Crash Bandicoot & the mutant tigress remain stuck inside a claustrophobic trap, & they're both one little bandicoot bilby short. Crash barely has any room to try to struggle & get out, &, well, it's also due to this big-cat female having a huge fit. She relentlessly moves her body around & makes Crash more & more uncomfortable, & a bit freaked out.

(_Yes, she's a mutant like Crash. I forgot to clarify that detail in the previous chapter. Forgive me, hehe!_)

"Get back here!", she yells._ "_I won't let you do this to me_ again_! *sigh*, this exact thing happens between me & her. **Every. Time.**"

Crash tries his best to calm the irate mutant tigress down. When she does, she takes a few deep-breaths, & realizes that the whole situation between her & him is all a big misunderstanding. She then tries to make amends with the bandicoot.

She then asks, "So, your little bandicoot companion told me that your name is, Crash, right?"

Crash responds with a nodding yes, followed by a big smile. Maybe she's heard of him? Who wouldn't know of Crash Bandicoot, **"The Super-Marsupial"**, **"The Blunder From Down Under"**? **"The Bandicoot With A...Plandicoot"**? _(That one sounded a lot cooler in my head)_

"I- don't think I've ever heard of you, to be honest.", the tigress claims.

This shocking revelation to Crash is followed by frustrated bewilderment.

"Well, Crash, if you really are a good guy, do you happen to have any ideas on how to get out of this stupid net?", the tigress asks while she wiggles her tail in curiosity.

"Hmm…", mutters the marsupial.

Crash tries his best to look around for a solution in the tight squeeze that he's in. Eventually, he gets an excellent idea. The first part of his smart & complex idea is…grabbing the tigress's...tail. Okay?

"Wha- Hey! Paws off!", the tigress shouts. "That's private property!"

He takes the tail & throws it through one of the net's holes & latches it onto a branch with a very sharp-end. The tigress spectates Crash's _N. Sane_ plan of action.

"What are you even trying to-"

She then notices that the targeted branch is conveniently located next to the rope that holds the net-trap.

"Ahh, I see!", she says. "Okay okay, I'm gonna try to pull. Get ready for the drop!"

She manages to find room to get one of her arms out to pull her tail, which swings the sharp-end of the branch to cut the rope holding the net-trap.

"WOOAAH!", they both scream as they fall & hit the ground. The mutant tigress is now able to move both her arms, & she begins to slash through the net, creating an opening for her & Crash. Afterwards, she shows her gratitude towards him.

"Phew, thanks for getting us out of that trap.", she says. "I, heh, I guess I was wrong about you."

In nervousness, she continues to the bandicoot, "Oh, &, sorry for attacking you before. Seeing someone like you with a smaller animal like that just, triggered something inside me."

Crash raises an eyebrow while scratching his head as he gets even more curious with the tigress's cryptic statements.

She elaborates, "What I mean is that, well, you remember when I said before that there was _another bandicoot_ out there poaching his & your own kind? He was BIG, & mean, too. But you don't seem to be like that. You seem pretty cool."

Crash blushes at the tigress's compliments.

"Whoever he is, we gotta stop him.", says the tigress. "But first, we gotta get your little buddy back from that stupid circus-hag! Let's go!"

Crash then gets that classic look of readiness on his face & prepares to run off through the jungle on a rescue mission with a newly-gained ally.

The tigress finally introduces herself properly, "Oh, & I'm Jade, by the way! Nice to meet you, Crash Bandicoot!"

**-(Moments Later)-**

Elsewhere, farther down the road, N. Trap's rather-zany means of transportation breaks down. Annoyed, she gets out to check on it, while the little bandicoot remains locked up in a cage sitting in the trunk, scared like he was before he came into contact with Crash.

"Drat!", mutters. "I knew I should've refueled this thing before coming onto to this stupid island."

Crash & The tigress named Jade arrives to the area. They find cover behind big rocks & a few bushes.

"There they are.", Jade whispers. After her & Crash assesses the situation, they then try come up with a gameplan. Jade continues to whisper. "Alright, she's got **Bandicute** all stationed up in that small cage."

As Crash is listening along, he becomes dumbfounded by Jade's out-of-nowhere but pretty catchy nickname for the trapped little bandicoot.

"What? I think it's a pretty cute name!", she says. She looks back at the distracted doctor & then tells Crash, "Okay, she's occupied with that gas-tank for now, so we need to approach this, very carefully."

With both bandicoot & tigress behind confrontation lines, they're each confident that this plan can't go wrong as long as they just...

"YOLOLOLOLOLO!", goes Crash as he unexpectedly charges at full speed towards Bandicute.

Ugh...quite the unpredictable wild animal, he is.

"That's your idea of_ carefully_?", Jade says to herself before she throws her striped paws up & loses all care of the "plan". "Ugh."

Bandicute hears & sees Crash coming back for him, & he starts to jump around in the cage & cheer. This catches N. Trap's attention, who also gets caught off-guard by Crash's obnoxious battle-cry as it begins to reign closer. Crash gets within range & throws the Wumpa fruit he saved from earlier at N. Trap's head.

"What the-", & before she could finish- **SPLAT! **

"UGH!", shouts the distraught Russian doctor. "Pechal' vo blago! It's all in my hair!"

_(Good grief)_

Crash laughs as N. Trap attempts to ravage the Wumpa juice out of her hair, & unfortunately it's almost to no avail. This gets interrupted by Jade's arrival.

"You two again?! You're N. Terfereing with my business!", says the Wumpa-covered N. Trap. Jade snaps back with a witty response:

"Yeah? Well, guess what? OUR business is still unfinished!"

The lady scientist seemingly surrenders all her wrongdoing to both heroes. The mood she gives off shifts from mean-spiritedness to kindness, but Crash & Jade aren't buying one second of it.

"Now now, why don't we all just be civil…"

While sweet talking, N. Trap takes out a sort of remote-control.

"...& _squash_ this beef once & for all?"

She presses a button on the remote & it immediately activates an obstacle course for Crash & his new tigress friend. From both directions, giant, disk-shaped rolling-stones roll out from between the trees & totem pillars.

"Crash! Watch out!", yells Jade.

"WOAH!", yells Crash.

The two heroes easily dodge the stones by stopping to wait for them to roll out of the way. Crash is in front, & he is about to clear the last big stone. When he does, a surprise-attack awaits him after the dust settles, as a smug N. Trap prepares to strike him with a cheap blow to the face.

"Ha!"

But Crash manages to "matrix dodge" her attack, leaving Jade open to pounce onto the mad scientist.

"Oof!"

While Jade has N. Trap pinned, Crash rushes over to the trunk of her car. He karate-chops the lock off the cage holding Bandicute & opens the door for him. The mini-marsupial leaps onto Crash's upper-body & hugs him tight.

"You got your buddy?", Jade asks.

Crash gives a thumbs-up to Jade, who ties N. Trap up to a tree. She assures to her in a growly tone, "It's over, Netra."

But the nasty human woman responds with cockiness saying, "Hahahaha! You poor, confused pussycat. This is FAR from over! You & your new bandicoot boyfriend don't have the slightest idea what you're up against, do you?"

"What are you going on about now?" Jade questions. "& he is NOT my boyfriend!"

Crash once again throws up his paws in denial.

"I suppose you've told him about our very own Crunch Bandicoot, no?", N. Trap says. "So strong, so focused, & the perfect match for Crash."

"& the best quality that I admire about him is that he may be big, but you'll never know when he's coming. If I were you, I'd keep my guard up at all times, Crash. _Because he knows how to make a first impression_, mmmhehehehehehe-"

Jade cuts her off by knocking her out cold.

"Sorry, she was asking for it.", says Jade.

"Hehehe!", goes Crash.

"Well, there you two go. Reunited, & it must feel good, right?", Jade asks.

Bandicute cheerfully crawls up & down Crash's body, much to Crash's slight discomfort. But oddly, he doesn't even get mad, it's as if the mutant marsupial is starting to develop a bond with his un-evolved counterpart.

"Aww, he's so happy to see you!", says Jade. "You must've been taking good care of him!"

Crash nervously smiles, half-assuring Jade that he was "taking care of him".

Just then, seeing Crash bond with Bandicute makes Jade think. She opens up to Crash about a past experience, saying:

"This actually reminds me of a small companion I used to be close with. We would do almost everything together. But then, one day, I couldn't protect her. & I've regretted it ever since."

Crash's sadness from Jade's story makes his ears flap down as Jade's depressing words almost brings tears to his eyes. She continues,

"Sometimes, I feel like the fact that I didn't look after her enough was the reason for her...demise."

After eavesdropping on Jade's conversation, regular animals from the sidelines come out to comfort her as if she was a furry Snow White; animals such as turtles, monkeys, armadillos, possums, & even skunks. As Jade further elaborates, she puts her brunette hair into sort of a ballet-bun, all while gracefully dancing like a ballerina amongst the surrounding animals. This is a stark contrast from what Crash has seen from her before. Next thing he knows, she may start singing.

"These animals, they're all like little siblings to us. This jungle should be one big sanctuary from people like Netra & Cortex. You know what I mean?"

The animals all look at Crash with slight disapproval. They all remember his neglectful ways from his past adventures. Crash gets slightly uneasy, but Jade unbeknowingly giggles.

"It feels so good to try & relax & dance away all the negativity. Do you dance, too?"

Crash nods yes. He ponders if he wants to show her his dance moves, but they may not be in line with what Jade does. _Trust me_.

"Anyway, I hope you take good care of Bandicute.", Jade says. She then places her hand on Crash's shoulder & says, "He needs you, Crash."

Crash smiles in agreement. He's almost mesmerized by Jade's blue eyes, & also her sudden change in vibe. Before she was ferocious & rough, but now she's graceful & calm. Crash then looks to Bandicute as if he was a newborn brother & he holds him in his arms. His views on him & his importance has changed immensely since earlier, for he now sees the glowing responsibility of taking care of him & protecting him from harm. The big bandicoot bops the little bandicoot on his nose.

"Hehehe!", goes the giggling little bandicoot bilby. His reaction brings joy to Crash's eye. Then, Crash receives an alert from his phone: its a video-call from Coco. He taps to answer.

"Crash! You get those herbs yet? Polar seems to be getting worse, & Baby T's lava-soup is not helping, at all. HEY, DO NOT SPILL THAT! Hurry back to the house, please!"

The call ends, & Crash decides it's time to part ways with his new friend Jade for now.

"You go ahead,", Jade says. "We'll deal with the so-called 'trap-queen'."

Ignoring the fact that that phrase most likely has a completely different meaning, Crash winks to Jade & waves goodbye while holding Bandicute, who also waves.

"See you around, Crash Bandicoot.", she says with a wink. "Bye, lil' Bandicute!"

As Crash & Bandicute make their way back to the Bandicoot Residence, Jade & the animals turn their attention to Dr. N. Trap, who appears to be gaining consciousness.

"Uunnh, what happened?", she says dizzily. Unfortunately for her, the consciousness she gained is quickly going to go back away.

"Naptime isn't over yet.", declares Jade.

The army of animals all gang up on N. Trap, & the skunks are the ones who get up close & personal, backsides first & tails up...

"Oh you gotta be kidd-"

….

….

"AAAUUUUGGHH!"

The scream heard all around N. Sanity Island makes birds from everywhere fly away, & it's music to Crash & Bandicute's ears.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Back at the Bandicoots' Residence, Coco checks on Polar's condition while she awaits Crash's return with the herbs that'll cure Polar's condition.

"Oh, Polar.", she says. "You're burning up! Don't worry, Crash'll be back soon with the herbs."

She pets the poor arctic cub as he whimpers in sickness. In most cases like this one, Coco often wonders what crazy escapade Crash has gotten into as it could possibly be the reason he's tardy.

She thinks to herself, "I hope he's not stuck inside another piranha-plant's mouth again." This happened at least three times last week.

The television is on in the background, but the volume is lowered so that Coco can listen out for Crash at the door. Pura, who's currently napping, rolls over on the floor & hits the remote control, causing the volume to turn up greatly. The loud sounds then wakes up the tiger cub.

"REOW!", goes Pura.

"Pura!", shouts Coco. "Ugh,_ I wonder who left the remote on the floor again_…".

As she goes to turns the t.v. down, an _N. Teresting_ commercial comes on & captivates her.

"_Come one, come all! Howdy, folks! It's your neeeew favorite clown, Dr. N. Tertain, here with an N. SAAAANE ANNOUNCEMENT! Come join the show with me & the rest of my N. Tertaining crew at the local Wumptropolis carnival! See the N. Credible Mr. Noah Visible, & then don't see him, hueheheh! A very cunning-chameleon! Also, witness the craftiness of the N. Tense Ms. Net Trap. What lucky contestants will step up to solve her glorious trap-puzzles? & last but not least, ho-ho, we got a special guest who will help shape The N. Tertaining Final Act!"_

"'N. Tertaining Final Act', eh?", Coco asks. "Yeah this doesn't sound suspicious at all…"

Minutes pass after viewing the suspicious advertisement, & there's still no sign of Crash showing up.

"I wonder if Crash knows about this.", Coco wonders. "Where is he? Did he get my video-call?"

Just as she asks, the doorbell rings at a convenient time. All stress & doubt is relieved in the household.

"Nnnnevermind! That must be him with the herbs, Polar!", says Coco. "Hehe, you're gonna be okay now!"

The little cub lets out a slight bark of relief, & Baby T goes to the kitchen with his head down in sadness to empty out his, uh, lava-soup, in the sink. Hey, at least he isn't spilling it on the floor? Coco in the meantime gets onto her feet to answer the door.

"Everythings gonna be fine, guys! We just gotta-"

& as she opens the door, she sees that there is definitely somebody there. Unfortunately, it is NOT who she was expecting. At all.

"Howdy Ho, Miss Bandicootio! Dr. N. Tertain here ta give you _the opportunity of a lifetime_!"

The quirky, but seemingly lethal clown doctor himself finally appears in the flesh at the Bandicoots' door, with an offer for the confused little blonde bandicoot, who says,

"What? Who- wait, what do you mean by-"

N. Tertain interrupts by saying, "Have you ever wanted ta be n' the spotlight? Show the world what a bandicoot really can do?"

Coco responds, "I don't-"

"Well, you're in luck!", N. Tertain says as he cuts her off again. "We're on a mission ta recruit for our upcoming show, & we thought that you, with your brains n' gifted genius n' whatnot would be a great contribution to our show's coordination!"

"Ok, first of all, how did you know about my gifted genius? _(& thank you by the way!)_ & second, what do you mean by 'we'?!", Coco asks.

N. Tertain finishes with, "Allow me to _N. Troduce_ my associate, **Crunch Bandicoot**!"

The big, brute, & interestingly burgundy bandicoot that Jade warned Crash about earlier finally makes his debut. He's everything that N. Trap also described as well. He's dressed in military attire & has a face of focus & determination. & this is him, making his first impression.

"*gulp*", goes a scared Coco. The sight of this hulking beast of a bandicoot makes her fearful of what may happen next. Crunch stares her back in her eyes, letting her know without words that whatever does happen next, that she'd better comply & not make any stupid decisions.

"Crunch, say hi to our new circus member.", N. Tertain says sinisterly.

The **Bandibrute **continues to stare down Coco, without words but with occasional grunts.

"H-hi there.", Coco says to him nervously. "Are you n-n-new to the neighborhood?"

Meanwhile, Crash & his new little buddy Bandicute continue to make their way through the jungle. They're almost home, & though Crash is eager to get to the bottom of everything that's happening, he now has no problem keeping the smaller marsupial around with him, as it's what makes Bandicute happy. The two begin to share a bond as they both take turns munching on a Wumpa fruit.

But the bonding stops, as suddenly another scream is heard. But this time is not from the trapped N. Trap. Crash recognizes the voice as his sister, Coco, which then makes him rush home with Bandicute in his grasp to see what's wrong. He's never heard her scream like this, so he makes haste & rushes through the many bushes & totem pillars with much worry.

Only minutes later, Crash reaches home, where he sees Coco being taken away by force in Crunch's clutches as he follows Dr. N. Tertain, who laughs maniacally the whole time.

"*GASP*", goes a distraught Crash. His sister is able to notice him despite Crunch manhandling her. She calls out his name.

"Crash!"

Crunch covers Coco's mouth & carries her over his shoulders.

"You know what ta do.", whispers N. Tertain to Crunch.

The pets, Baby T & Pura, run from out of the house & try to fight him off, but to no avail, as he easily swipes both of them off with a swing of his muscular right arm. All of this angers Crash. The heroic bandicoot gets a look of determination. He first puts Bandicute onto the ground before he prepares to charge the burgundy bandicoot. Crash leaps into the air, & once Crunch catches sight of this, he effortlessly stands his ground & pinpoints where Crash is going to attack & unleashes another devastating blow with his right hand, all while still holding Coco with his left. A powerful punch knocks Crash unconscious.

"It's a TOTAL KNOCKOUT!", shouts, N. Tertain. "HEHEHEHEHE!"

Everything starts to fade to black. Faint sounds of distress from Coco can still be heard. Crash tries to open his eyes to see what's going on, but the pain is too much to bear. Bandicute tries desperately to wake him up, but he's now out cold...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"_Crash!" _

A half-hour passes by after the brutal knockout, courtesy of Crunch Bandicoot. Faint noises along with echoing can be heard from someone calling Crash's name.

"_Crash!"_

His eyes start to open slowly. Signs are beginning to show of him regaining consciousness. As his eyes finally open fully, the first thing he sees is Jade & Bandicute at his side.

"C'mon, wake up!", she says to him.

Our Crash finally awakens. Even after taking what feels like a furry bowling-ball to the face, he still manages to smile, a missing tooth & all. He looks to see if Bandicute is hurt, but he shows Crash that he's never felt better by hopping around cheerfully. Seeing his protector getting back up from a beating fills him with glee. Jade is also relieved.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay.", she says in relief. "I heard someone screaming from almost a mile away, & then I saw you."

She holds his face up to analyze the damage done. "Your eyes! & your snout's bent up, too. Geez, someone messed you up real bad. & you're missing a tooth!"

Crash rolls his eyes as Jade checks on him. She asks, "It was Crunch, wasn't it? I guess you finally saw how big & mean he was."

To Crash, it's like an overprotective mother being worried over what can be perceived as small things. It's roughly the same thorough routine with his sister Coco.

Oh, Coco…

Sadness overcomes Crash, as he remembers that he wasn't able to save his sister from being kidnapped by Crunch & Dr. N. Tertain. Jade further comforts him, & then helps him to his feet.

"There there. Here, let's go get some ice.", Jade says.

Jade walks a beaten Crash into the house, while Bandicute stays behind & makes sure Pura & Baby T is alright, as they too were also victims to Crunch's overpowering.

The tigress & bandicoot walk through the family room to the kitchen. Crash looks around in a panic to see if there's any sign of Dr. N. Trap, since Jade was last seen policing her.

"Oh, don't worry about N. Trap.", Jade assures. "She's...in time out until I get back. She won't be going anywhere." She winks to him in assurance.

As they head into the kitchen, Jade looks around at some of the damage that Crunch has done: furniture ripped & rearranged, ruined plants, broken vases, & broken picture frames, most notably one with a picture of Crash & Coco. Jade notices the resemblance of the two & becomes curious of their relationship.

She asks, "Is this your sister?".

Crash nods yes in response. & seeing as there's no sign of her, Jade starts to piece together what happened to her. Tigers tend to have enhanced senses like that.

"*Gasp*, He took her.", says Jade. "That meatheaded-jerk!"

As she puts down the frame, Bandicute walks into the house with Baby T & Pura.

"I'm so sorry you couldn't save her.", Jade says. "But, at least these guys are okay."

For a moment, Jade gets mesmerized by Pura. The way she temporarily checks him out makes her think to herself for a minute. Afterwards, she gets back on track with her main thoughts as she sits Crash down onto the couch.

"Man, what's going on here?", she asks. "First it's bandicoots from all over being poached, & now they're gathering mutated ones?"

Crash shrugs his shoulder, Jade's guess is as good as hers. Miraculously, the television is still intact, & it's still on from earlier when Coco was here. Just then, the news comes on with an _N. Teresting_ topic.

"_Breaking-News, the N. Famous evil Dr. Neo Cortex has been broken out of prison today."_

"Great.", says Jade. "Just what we need. More bad news."

"_Sources say that he's currently in the middle of planning something big, not only for the entire world, but for his long-time adversary, Crash Bandicoot. More importantly, Neo Cortex himself has, s-s-sent out a public message for anyone, including C-C-Crash Bandicoot, who dares try to get in the way of his latest scheme. Phil?"_

"Hang on. Something seems..._off_.", says Jade. Now curious, Crash squinches his eyes at the tv screen to focus on anything out of the ordinary. The other anchor begins to read the statement.

"_Thank you, Kelly. It reads as follows…__**'F-f-fellow earthlings, I c-come to you with an astounding…*gulp*, news update. T-t-today is...the dawn of a new order." **_

"Those are some very...nervous-looking smiles on their faces.", Jade says as she looks closer to what's really going on. She sees that something is being held to the side of the head of the news anchor who's reading Cortex's message.

She then says, "That looks like, *Gasp*, **a ray-gun**?!"

The news anchor continues reading, _**"A day where, false heroes are traded...for real heroes. An army is forning-FORMING, under m-m-my will...an army of-"**_

Just then, he gets cut-off by someone.

"_Ugh, too fidgety. What a __**nerd**__, am I right, Phil?"_

"Oh no!", Jade shouts.

As soon as they both hear the voice speak, their fur stands straight up on their bodies. Yes, it's Dr. Neo Cortex himself manipulating from behind the scenes. Unfortunately, the message he wanted everyone to hear didn't quite get out the way he wanted it to. So now, he's forced to take action.

_"I'll take it from here, guys."_, he says. _"We'll be right back after these messages."_

He readies his ray-gun &...

"_NO! WAIT, PLEASE!"_, screams Phil._ "AAAAIIIEEEEEE!"_, screams Kelly.

***ZAP* **

"AH!", screams Crash.

"OH MY GOD!", shouts Jade.

The channel goes to static as it loses its reception. Complete silence fills the room for a minute as both heroes try to process what horrible act was just broadcasted on live tv.

"Those...poor news anchors.", Jade mutters. "We have to stop him. We have to stop him **now**."

Just then, the channel once again receives a signal, & Cortex has more to say.

"_N. Gin, you fool! Fix the frequency this instant! __Ah yes, we're uh, we're, we're back now. Due to, unfortunate circumstances, Phil & Kelly had to be, let go from their positions. Hopefully they'll be able to find work elsewhere, but it's a real shame. They were the best source for daily news. Oh well, ashes to ashes...hehehe!"_

"I'm gonna be sick…", says Jade.

"_I want this to serve as a reminder to let you all know who exactly you're dealing with. All my life, I've been walked over & made a fool of. With every failure, I came closer & closer to… giving up. But, with every new opportunity granted upon me, I take full advantage of my mighty N. Tellect to bestow upon this miserable world what it deserves: a new order, a supreme leader! I, Dr. Neo Cortex, vow to stop at nothing to make everyone fall to their knees, including all the people who doubted me & all the people who constantly get in my way, like a certain orange marsupial. __**You know who you are**__…"_

Crash, who Cortex is obviously referring to, points to himself in bewilderment.

"_So, go ahead, make haste, just like you always do. But know this, you won't have any luck this time. At every possible corner, my newest recruitment of henchmen will do everything in their power to stop you, & there are bound to be even MORE surprises in store for you. & speaking of luck, wouldn't it be delightful to have someone like Coco working for us? HAHAHAHAHAHAAA"_

Anger flows through Crash as he listens to all of this.

"_End the transmission, N. Gin."_

As the channel goes out once again, Jade notices that Crash is completely zoned-out. It's as if he's in deep thought. She says to him while holding his hand, "Hey, don't let his words get to you. You're just gonna kick his butt again anyway, right?", she finishes with a wink. Crash regains focus, & smiles back at Jade.

Pura plays with the remote & mistakenly changes channels. It goes back to the dragon program.

"_**Looks like I got some things to do."**_, says the purple dragon character on the tv.

At this point, Crash agrees, & decides that playtime is over.

He grabs the remote & turns off the tv. He then gets up off of the couch & heads into his room, with Jade soon following behind.

"Someone's feeling better already.", she says to herself.

He kicks the door open, & there lies Polar, next to his bed in his own little bed, coughing up uncontrollably. Crash finally hands him the herbs, which he put in an...ice-cream sundae he made earlier with Coco. Anyways, Polar barks happily as he eats the sundae, feeling brand new even though he still has a cold. Jade walks in to see.

"Did that polar bear just bark?", she asks.

Just then, Aku Aku returns from his investigation right on time to reunite with Crash.

"D'ah!", goes Jade, who gets caught off-guard by Aku Aku's sudden appearance.

"Wonderful!", he says to Crash. "You're back home with the herbs. This should rid Polar of the sickness in no time. Great work, my son."

Crash pets Polar, & the two smile at each other.

Aku Aku continues, "I've been looking more into what's going on. It seems like Dr. Cortex is aiming to create a mutated bandicoot army using the newest model of the Evolvo-Ray."

"Why bandicoots?", Jade asks.

"That's a good question, Jade. You see, Crash was supposed to be Cortex's general for his commandos, but something went wrong during the Cortex-Vortex process. Now, he's corrected that error with the warping algorithm, & seeing how Crash is fast, strong, & cunning..."

Crash takes the time to flex a muscle, though it's not so much a muscle as it's more of his arm dropping like a noodle.

"...Cortex will want to replicate that. He's already had success with Crunch. But now, he wants more."

"Wow, that actually makes sense.", says Jade. "Wait, how do you know who I am?"

"I know everything, Jade.", Aku Aku says. "I am a wise magical-mask, & Crash's spiritual protector. & I also know that Crash trusts you."

Jade smiles at Crash, who gives her a thumbs up in response.

While walking to the front-door, Aku Aku takes note of Bandicute & his comfortably-clingy nature around Crash.

"I see that that your little bandicoot companion is happy to be around you.", he says.

"Ahem, 'Bandicute' is the name we gave him.", Jade says. "Cute name, right?"

"Eh, I suppose.", Aku Aku replies.

Crash looks ahead outside the door. He takes one more look back at Polar & the other pets, & then Jade. Sh walks up to him & places her hand on his shoulder.

"You go ahead, this is YOUR fight.", she tells him. "Go get your sister back. I'll stay behind & take care of everyone here. Oh, & I'll get the place cleaned up, too."

"Polar should be getting better in a matter of hours.", says Aku Aku to Jade. "But Pura & Baby T seems like they need medical attention."

Jade assures, "Don't worry, they're in good hands, or, paws rather."

"Come on, Crash. Let's go get your sister. & all your other unevolved siblings!"

Crash smiles cockily to Aku Aku, with Bandicute eagerly sitting on his shoulder.

"I think someone wants to tag along…", Aku Aku says.

Crash gives up two thumbs, for reals this time!

"Good luck, Jade Tiger." Aku Aku says. "& thank you for helping Crash."

With Pura & Baby T by her side, Jade smiles & waves as she watches Crash, Bandicute, & Aku Aku set off on their journey. Polar, who stumbles into the family room slowly feeling better, walks up to the door to watch as well.

Soon after they leave, Jade puts her arm around Pura, who gives her a sense of familiarity. She talks to the smaller cat.

"So, your name's Pura. I'm Jade."

She begins to pet him slowly. "You're a South China Tiger, just like me!"

Pura snuggles within Jade's arms & lets out a nice, long purr that signalises sleepiness. While Jade comforts him, Baby T tries to give Polar more lava-soup in the background, ensuing a chase around the family room. Jade says to Pura,

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, nothing is gonna happen to you guys. Especially you."

"_Not this time_…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_He puts on the white lab coat, & he buttons it up to fasten it close on his torso. The rubber gloves come on afterwards, followed by a swift combing of the two areas of greying hair that are located on his N. Larged head: the long, side-piece around his head, & the little, pointed piece he has on the top of his forehead. Lastly, he takes the time to polish that gigantic "N" on his forehead._

_Now wrapping-up his self-preparation, the doctor is N. __**"It's good to be back N. Business."**__, he says._

"Mmhmm. Wwwwhat's...what's going on?"

Coco Bandicoot wakes up from a long-lasting nap. She barely has any memory of what's going on, & is currently unaware of where she is. When she fully awakens, she discovers that she is being held captive while being transported on an unusual airborne vehicle. With her are an array of familiar bad guys on board, otherwise known as **"The N. Tertainers"**, who consists of the deranged clown Dr. N. Tertain himself, the burgundy bandibrute known as Crunch Bandicoot, & Dr. N. Visible, the cunning-chameleon. Of course, they're all lead by Dr. Neo Cortex himself, who finally makes his physical presence known as the captain of his brand-new airship.

"Good, she's awake.", says Cortex. "Man the ship while I N. Terrogate our prisoner."

"Ugh, where the heck am I?", says Coco. She turns around to see Cortex's ugly-mug in person for the first time in a long time. She reacts disgustingly by yelling, "EEP! CORTEX?! I knew it! I knew you had something to do with this! What have you done this time?!"

"Ah, so many questions from the supposed 'smarter' sister of Crash Bandicoot.", he replies. "Just sit back & enjoy the nice breeze while you can, because it may be the last time you ever experience this sensation..."

The siNister doctor approaches Coco slowly to offer a sort of compromise. He continues,

"...Unless, of course, you're willing to cooperate, then you might prove to be of greater use."

"Eeeehhh doubt it, doc!", says N. Terrain. "I know her type, she's the kind o' girl who can fight for 'erself in sit'ations like this. I seen 'er try it while Crunch was handlin' her earlier."

"Don't worry, N. Tertain.", Cortex responds. "Coco here knows what's good for her. She will comply to my every demands, or else my newest general here, Crunch, is going to make short work of her, worse than he did to her miserable brother."

Though frightened by Cortex's threatening promise & Crunch's brooding presence, Coco eventually gets an idea. After thinking to herself, she responds.

"You know what? You're right. I surrender.", she says. "I will happily comply to all & any of your commands!"

"That's more like- wait, seriously?", says caught off-guard Cortex.

"Uh-huh!", she reassures. "Hey, I know when I'm beat. I'm clearly outnumbered here, & burgundy n' broody over there doesn't seem too fond of me in the slightest. I mean, look at 'im, if Crash couldn't take him (even though he got sucker-punched), then what choice do I have? (a lot of gadgets & 4 years of martial arts under my belt, that's what.)"

"What was that?", Cortex asks.

"Nothing!", she quickly replies. "Nothing at all."

"Well, GOOOLLLY!", yells . "I had a feelin' she'd come around eventually! Hey, anybody smell a skunk?"

Seconds later, Dr. N. Trap, still wreaking of skunk-funk, gets picked up in her little circus-car & is carried onto the airship. She was barely able to break free from one of her own traps that was used against her by Jade Tiger. Because of this, the Russian scientist is still furious. She gets out of her vehicle to vent, in more ways than one...

"Grr, that N. Sufferable little cat-girl & her worthless forest friends.", she mumbled. "Just wait 'til I-I...ah-ACHOO!"

"N. Trap?! You seem to be a small bandicoot bilby short.", Cortex states. "Oh, & gesundheit."

"PEE-YEW!", goes N. Tertain. "It smells like the locals of the jungle offered you some _'special perfume'_, hahahahaaa!"

Cortex holds his nose to avoid the stench while speaking with N. Trap. He asks, "What

happened?"

"Do. Not. Ask.", she grumbles. After collecting herself, she explains everything.

"The bandicoot you call Crash made a new feline friend & they both subdued me. I was, surrounded by- so many, furry little creatures...they were all so cute, & I COULDN'T- I- ACHOO! I COULDN'T STAND IT!"

"Oh, Netra, don't worry.", Cortex says. "I know exactly how you feel. I have a niece that always loves to cuddle with the tiny fuzzies, & it makes me sick! Luckily, I currently have plans in place to put a stop to that (hopefully she'll understand), just like I have plans to get that N. Fernal bandicoot, & whoever else is foolish enough to lend him a paw on his misadventure, off our backs for good."

Coco eavesdrops on the conversation. She talks in her head to avoid any further conflict engaging with the baddies. "Is that so, Neo? We'll see about-"

But her thoughts are interrupted as Crunch stares with N. Tensity at her. It's likely that he knows what she's thinking.

"Ugh. Talk about a fuzzkill…", she says to herself.

"We're not out of ideas yet.", says Cortex. "He won't see what's coming now. Speaking of which...

...I believe it's time to make your move, Dr. N. Visible-"

Everyone looks around to see if the chameleon doctor is present for N. Structions, but alas, he's mysteriously nowhere to be found.

"Uh, is he gone?", asks Cortex. "Or is he- is he still here? *Sigh*, you never really know with that guy, being that he's, well-"

"Using camouflage to go invisible?", says N. Trap.

"Yes yes, exactly.", Cortex replies. "Hmm."

He feels silence & no presence of N. Visible, but Cortex still tries to make sure if he's still here or not.

"Dr. N. Visible? Uhh, I guess he's- *coughs*, already on it- OH, MY WORD! THAT SMELL!"

"Ok, seriously.", says N. Tertain. " When the audience throws tomatoes at ya during our performance, they're gonna be doing ya a favor. Jus' saying."

Annoyed even more, N. Trap snaps back, "OH SHUT IT ALREADY, YOU- YOU CLOWN!"

"Huehuehuehue!", laughs N. Tertain. "That skunk's aim must've been _astounding_!"

On the sidelines, Coco secretly giggles to herself at the antics between the evil doctors. For her, it's good stress-relief for her current situation. Even Crunch smirks a little at what's happening! But after settling down, Coco must focus back on keeping up her undercover captivity so that she'll be able to contact Crash at some point & tell him what Cortex is going to do next.

Back on N. Sanity Island, Crash Bandicoot makes his way through the jungle to save his sister & stop the N. Tertainers from whatever horrible thing they plan to do to the entire bandicoot species. With him is his trusty witch doctor guardian, Aku Aku, & his newest, unevolved bandicoot companion that's nicknamed Bandicute. They make their way to the streams & begin to carefully plan out how to cross them. Aku Aku makes a suggestion for Crash.

"Now may be a good opportunity to use your jet-board to cross this river.", he says.

Crash nods in agreement. He takes out the Bandroid phone to choose the jet-board as transportation, but as soon as Bandicute sees the unusual new device, he tries to mess with the screen.

"Ay!", goes Crash.

Fascinated by the colors & the functionality of the screen, the little bandicoot messes with the gadget choices, switching from the jetpack, to the motorcycle, to the fruit-bazooka.

Aku Aku tries to warn Bandicute, "No, Bandicute! You don't know what you're doing!"

The bubbly bilby tries to grab the whole thing for himself. Crash tries to take it from him, but they both end up accidentally tossing it towards the river.

"*GASP!*", goes Crash.

"Oh no.", says Aku Aku.

In an odd twist, the phone stops falling in mid air right above the water. It's now frozen in place.

"Huh?", says Crash.

This weird occurrence puzzles everyone, but it doesn't take The Great Aku Aku too long to figure out what's the deal.

"Who are you?", Aku Aku says. "Speak now & reveal yourself!"

The culprit appears from camouflage, revealing himself to be none other that Dr. N. Visible.

_"You dropped your phone."_

Everyone is surprised by this new & most-likely evil face. The sinister & silent chinese-accent omitted from the cunning chamaeleon ninja sends shivers down Crash & Bandicute's fur. N. Visble quickly throws the Bandroid back at Crash with full force, knocking him in the face & making him toss Bandicute. "EEEP!", the bilby yells. It then lands into the river.

"DAAAHHH!", screams Crash.

The heroic marsupial desperately tries to scramble for the bandicoot in peril. He reaches his hand out to grab him, but the currents pull Bandicute away. Crash runs as fast as he can along the edge to try to save him, all the while N. Visible follows behind him in attack-mode.

"Oh no. Crash! Don't let Bandicute drown!", says Aku Aku.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Thanks to the cunning-chameleon, Dr. N. Visible, Crash is now in the midst of a high-level crisis. His smaller counterpart, Bandicute, is being dragged away by the strong current of the jungle's river. Crash desperately runs along the edge & tries to get him out, but every attempt is thwarted by N. Visible.

Eventually, the chameleon leaps onto Crash & pins him down to the ground. He uncurls his tail & wraps it around the bandicoot's legs. Bandicute, panicking frantically, gets pulled further & farther away down the stream, & is almost close to drowning. N. Visible talks into Crash's ear & says, in a deadly & silent voice:

"As long as I'm here, I will make you fail your mission. That is MY MISSION!"

Crash snarls & struggles to get out of N. Visible's grasp. He then quickly gets an idea. He starts to force him & 's body to hop & perform a roll-maneuver towards the water.

"What are you doing?!", shouts N. Visible. "Dr. Cortex said you can't swiiiiim!"

The mad marsupial manages to get into the water, with N. Visible under him & on his back. With this maneuver, Crash is able to break free of the chameleon's grasp & get away from him as he gets lost in the current.

"RRAAUUUGH!", screams the chameleon, as a fork in the river comes up & he drifts away on the other side.

"DABUBUBUH!", goes Crash struggling to stay above the current. He quickly grabs onto a piece of driftwood & carries himself up. With no other options & Bandicute being close to death, Crash frantically reaches for his pockets for something to help him out. Fortunately, he lucks out on something convenient & useful: His old yo-yo!

Aiming the trajectory...with his long-nose of all things, Crash throws out the yo-yo to Bandicute before he can get any further down the river. The poor thing, gasping for air, sees the yo-yo at the end of its string & instantly grabs onto it. Crash reels in the string with Bandicute on the other end & grabs him from out of the water, reuniting the two once again! But the time for rest is not here yet; not only do they have to figure out how they're going to get out of this violent current, Dr. N. Visible returns onto the scene, appearing from his camoflauge-state & hanging from a tree branch over the water, waiting to grab his prey.

"There is no escape this time,'' yells a confident N. Visible.

Crash frowns at as he holds Bandicute tight on the driftwood.

"Nothing can possibly stop me from-"

*SMACK*

From out of nowhere, a giant swinging-log swoops down & knocks N. Visible out of the equation once again. He gets sent flying all the way across the jungle.

"OH COME ON!", he yells.

Crash & Bandicute look at each other dumbfounded, wondering what could be the cause of such action that saved them? They then see Aku Aku on the sidelines, & they both smile as they already know he was responsible. Just then, the Witch Doctor mask says something to them.

"Watch out! There's a-"

Crash tries to listen in & get a better understanding of what Aku Aku is saying, as he is pretty far away & the splashing waters are loud. But before Aku Aku could even finish, the two bandicoots suddenly fall.

"AAHHHHH!", goes Crash.

"EEEEEEEE!", goes Bandicute.

"...waterfall.", Aku Aku finishes.

Aku Aku quickly uses his magic to capture Crash & Bandicute before they hit the water below the waterfall. He brings them onto dry land at last.

"That was a close call." says Aku. "All of what transpired earlier was as well. But at least that's one more of Cortex's new henchmen off of our trails. Although, I do hope N. Visible lands somewhere safe, & not in a pit of spikes or something."

Both Crash & Bandicute are completely soaked, so Aku Aku takes it upon himself to help dry them off. After putting them down on dry land, he sends Crash, who is holding Bandicute, into a ferocious twirl, just how the maniacal mutant-marsupial likes it. In no time, both bandicoots are soak-free, but their fur also becomes puffy & fluffy for a bit. Crash shares a laugh with the small bilby.

"The good news is, we've reached the end of the island!", claims Aku Aku. "The bad news…"

Before he could finish, Crash looks around to see where he is, & he instantly gets spooked.

"...We're in Papu Papu's territory.", finishes Aku Aku.

The trio has reached the native village area of N. Sanity Island. Tribesmen are everywhere making their living, & wild boars run amok to avoid being barbequed. But among all, the native chief himself, Papu Papu, resides on his throne inside his big hut napping. Crash, Bandicute, & Aku Aku hide behind bushes & try to come up with a stealth plan.

"If we are to make it to the beach, we mustn't get caught.", says Aku Aku.

Crash nods in agreement & checks his surroundings to see how to get around the village without garnering attention. He then sees that one wild boar stands out among the others in the bushes hidden from view. It's his old warthog buddy just chilling & eating grass! This hog got Crash out of trouble plenty of times on his first adventure.

"Hey, look!", Aku Aku says. "I recognize that hog! Maybe he can help you out once again?"

Before Crash makes a move, he tells Bandicute "Shh!", in order not to make any sounds. The bilby responds with a cute nod & follows very closely behind Crash. While no one is looking, Crash jumps onto the hog. Being alarmed, it squeals, but not for long as Crash quickly calms it down. The tribesmen look up to see what the noise was, but then go right back to their business. Crash shows the warthog that it's him, & the hog emits a silent, but excited squeal. Bandicute on the other hand, is frightened by it, but Crash shows him that everything will be okay as long as he has him, no matter what.

Minutes later, the warthog races from out of the bushes, with it & Crash covered in leaves as a sort of camouflage. They zoom past the tribesmen, who all scream & jump out of the way.

"AAAIIIEEEEEEEE!"

"AAAYYYOOOOOOO!"

Crash & Bandicute are getting closer & closer to the end of the island. They both brace themselves as the warthog hops over a few bumps, rocks, & fire-pits.

Interestingly, Papu Papu is still sleep in his hut throughout it all. He turns a little on his throne & snores loudly while on his enormous belly.

The warthog sees a cliff & begins to squeal. Its hooves brake on the dirt & it comes to a complete stop, making his backside come forward a bit & launching Crash & Bandicute across the rest of the village & over the great gates. Crash grabs the little bandicoot before they touch down on the sand of the beach. They have finally made it to the end of the island.

Crash catches his breath & looks back at the warthog. He shows gratitude by giving a thumbs up, but then he sees that the entire village of tribesmen are aware of Crash's presence. With spears & spiked-shields in hand, the angry mob of locals charge Crash, who picks up Bandicute & starts booking it.

"Crash!", yells Aku Aku. "The Bandroid! Do you still have it?!"

Crash desperately pats every pocket on his pants in hopes that he hasn't lost the phone. But unfortunately, it looks like he lost it.

"Uh oh.", he says.

Just then, a spear aims for Crash, but luckily he gets clear as it hits the ground.

"D'AH!", he goes.

While running & carrying him, Bandicute coughs up something unusual: The Bandroid.

"It was in his mouth!", says Aku Aku. "How did you let this happen?"

"Tehehehe!", goes Bandicute.

Crash glares at the mischievous miniature marsupial. He then grabs the phone from him & scrolls the settings for the perfect gadget/vehicle to make the getaway. He makes the **jet-board** his choice.

"That jet-board won't last long across the wide-open waters.", says Aku Aku. "Wait, I have an idea! Look!"

Aku Aku points Crash to a wooden tiki-boat stuck in the sand.

"You can rev-up the jet-board & I'll tie a rope from the boat onto the board so you can pull it out."

The tribesmen are closing in on the intruders, so haste is made with the escaping process. The rope is tied, & Crash hops on his jet-board & boosts forward into the water, with Bandicute getting a front-row seat. The rope pulls the boat from out of the sand, but only slightly.

"Almost, just a little more juice!", yells Aku Aku.

"AYAYAYAYAEEE!", goes the angry tribesmen. They're getting closer & closer by the second. Crash revs up the horsepower even more & boosts forward, pulling the boat out even more, but still not enough to set sail. After two failed attempts, the local tribesmen finally catch up with the bandicoots. They hold their spears up against Crash & Bandicute in defensive stances & start chanting, scaring Bandicute into hiding under Crash.

"Oh no.", Aku Aku says. "They've surrounded us."

Just then, out of nowhere, Crash's warthog friend returns with a gang of other warthogs & goes amok among the tribesmen, making them drop their spears & run for their lives away from Crash. They each get bitten on the butts, poked with boars' tusks, & hit with apples, letting them know that they're no longer tonight's dinner.

"YYEEOOW!"

"OOOOOOAAHH!"

The warthog looks back at Crash, wagging its tail & squealing with glee. Crash looks on & gives him two thumbs up this time. Afterwards, he gives one more good rev-up on the jet-board. Bandicute holds on tight as both of them zip forward, finally pulling the boat out of the sand & into the water. Aku Aku cheerfully catches up with the bandicoots.

"That did it, Crash!", he says. "Next stop: Tasmania, home of origin for all regular bandicoots."

"Woohoo!", shouts Crash.

"Woohoo!", shouts Bandicute.

They are now off, leaving the island home in pursuit of finding Crash's sister Coco & his arch-nemesis Dr. Neo Cortex, & most importantly, stopping the poaching of the bandicoot species once & for all.

& after all this, the chief himself, Papu Papu, is still asleep. _He most likely had something beyond a big breakfast this time..._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Night time arrives at last, & Crash Bandicoot kicks back to relax with his little buddy Bandicute on a tiki-boat while Aku Aku pilots it. Worn out from all of the craziness that they've been through today, both bandicoots try to bond more in order to ease their minds before reaching Tasmania & continuing their mission. While under the stars, Crash gets bored while waiting for some more action & tries to come up with some activities that he & Bandicute can do together before they get some shuteye.

"Hmmm", he says.

He then nudges Bandicute before he closes his eyes to show him the clouds & the constellations in the dark blue sky: There's a star pattern that's shaped like a Power Crystal, along with one shaped like a Wumpa fruit. Bandicute adorably tries to reach out for the big Wumpa in the sky, & Crash giggles.

Afterwards, Crash decides to get up & do impressions of most of his enemies. To the amusement of Bandicute, who is excited to see what Crash does next, Crash begins his first impression:

First, he quickly kills an invasive fly & plasters it onto his face to replicate a beauty mark. Next, he slicks back the top part of his mohawk. To top it off, he then proceeds to babble in a mocking-like manner with a feminine voice, almost trying to imitate a Russian accent. Bandicute knows all too well who it is, & guesses right (It's N. Trap if you didn't know). Crash knows that making fun of the one person that was a danger to Bandicute at the time can really ease the worries.

His next impression consists of him bending down his ears to parallel along the top of his head. He once again takes part of his mohawk & styles it to his will, but this time he puts it in a style that makes the hair stick out from the sides of his head, similar to a certain big-headed scientist. Speaking of head, Crash even goes so far as to use his eyebrows to somehow shape them into an N on his forehead, thus fully bringing this N. Novating impression to life. Now, it should be obvious whom he's impersonating this time, though surprisingly Bandicute can't for the life of him guess who it is. This makes Crash go the extra mile & attempt the trademark evil laugh...

"MUAHAHAHAHAHA-"

"*KRRR*"

"OOOOH"

...followed by simulations of back-breaking due to old age.

Bandicute finally guesses right & Crash throws a small celebration. Aku Aku looks back as he pilots the ship & smiles. It warms his heart- err, spirit to see someone that he considers as his son warming up to & taking care of someone who is seen as a little brother. He then thinks back to the first time he met Crash…

It was a bright, sunny day on N. Sanity Island, but unfortunately for Aku Aku, it was nothing but darkness with small beams of light in a very cramped space. Powerless for almost three years, the Witch Doctor was kept inside of a wooden crate that was specifically designed by his evil twin-brother, **Uka Uka**, to keep him locked up, much like how he kept him locked up for eons. This was seen as payback, & that even imprisoned, Aku Aku knows his brother all too well to not still have an evil N. Fluence on the world. Now, without a protector, the Wumpa Islands were in danger of the oncoming threat that was Dr. Cortex & his Cortex Commandos. It wasn't until Aku Aku glazed down in the distance through the cracks in the crate that something, or someone, washed up on the beach: a mutated, orange bandicoot.

At first, Aku Aku observed that the bandicoot seemed dazed & confused, most likely because the bandicoot was just getting used to being something so extraordinary: an animal with human qualities & more. But then Aku Aku saw the determination that had then flowed through the mutant-bandicoot's body & soul, indicating that he was ready for adventure. At that point, Aku Aku knew that hope had arrived, although the way that he was breaking open the stranded boxes in the sand was a little violent & a slight cause for concern. After romping from the beach into the wild jungle, Aku Aku waited patiently for the bandicoot to see the crate he was trapped in, & seeing how three other boxes were smashed to bits earlier, he knew this would be his big-break. Literally! Finally, the maniacal marsupial breaks open the crate & frees Aku Aku, who gets his powers back & his sense of hope.

"_OOGA BOOGA_", he chants.

The bandicoot cowers in fear of seeing a floating mask for the first time, but Aku Aku shows that there's nothing to fear, as he is grateful for the unnamed bandicoot freeing him. It's then that the both of them found that they shared a common goal: stopping Dr. Cortex's plan of conquest. From then on, Aku Aku promised to protect & watch over his newly-found son, so that he will prevail on his adventures & stop evil, while never being alone. He then bestows upon him the name of...

...Willy.

After pondering for a few seconds with a few actual cricket noises from the sidelines, they both agree that it's not really that good or fitting, so then Aku Aku remembers the excessive amounts of crate-breaking that occured because of the bandicoot. The name that would stick after that is **Crash**.

Back in the present time, the Bandicute cowers in fear of seeing the stars up close for the first time, but Crash shows that there's nothing to fear, as they are actually fireflies. It's then that the fireflies join together at the boat to bring more light, making Bandicute share a common emotion with Crash: complete awe. Meanwhile, Aku Aku continues to steer the ship throughout the night, with that warm smile on his face all along the way.

Back home at the Bandicoots' residence, Jade is still caring for Polar, Baby T, & Pura. They're all sitting outside on the front-lawn gazing up at the stars. While Baby T tries to cuddle next to Polar, who tries to push him away, Jade snuggles up against Pura welcomed.

"I hope Crash & his buddies make it okay.", says Jade.

"Purrrr", goes Pura. Amazingly, Jade understands perfectly what he says.

"You're a very confident fella, aren't you?", she responds. "Hehe, I like that. There use to be somebody just like you with the same attitude. I think if you guys met, you would be really good friends."

Pura smiles & licks Jade on the cheek, inciting a slight giggle from her, opposite to Polar & Baby T's situation, however, which involves biting & clawing.

"Ugh, hang on a sec…", Jade says begrudgingly as the tender moment is interrupted. She gets up to go & break up the petty squabble.

"Hey! Knock it off, you two!", she yells. She then says to Polar, "& you, stop barking! You're not a dog & that's just weird!"

Aside from that, everything seems to be fine back home with Jade watching over the pets & the Bandicoot household.

But from out of scene, some odd-looking, robotic-like figures watch from the bushes shrouded in darkness. Their silhouettes are all unison by design, & they don't appear to be friendly at all. It's like they're possibly waiting for the right moment to _N. Tervene_...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_Tasmania, Morning Time_

"**Operation: N. Tervene is a go."**

Dr. N. Trap continues to execute her part of Dr. Cortex's latest & grandest scheme, & that would be gathering innocent little bandicoots for a carnival act people are gonna need to see to believe, _whether they want to or not_. Groups of Safari-themed Lab Assistants march along the Tasmanian terrain & gather each bandicoot they see. Meanwhile, on her down-time, N. Trap gloats at the fact that she's getting back at Jade Tiger, who is currently house-sitting for Crash. She sent Lab-Assistants (or L.A.s for short) to dispose of her & Crash & Coco's pets. Currently, she's watching live-feed of the robot minions attempting to break into the Bandicoots' residence.

"Mmmhmhmhm!", goes a mischievous N. Trap. "This will teach that foolish tigress what happens when you cross me & try to get away with it."

Once the area is cleared & all the defenseless, unevolved bandicoots are captured & put into cages, The lieutenant L.A. gives the word.

"ALL BANDICOOTS IN THIS AREA HAVE BEEN SEIZED, SIR.", says the Lieutenant L.A.

"Very good- excuse me? SIR?", N. Trap retorts. "Do I look like- ugh, we will work out the bugs later. Crunch, it is time to move."

Ah, yes. Crunch, the newer super-bandicoot who gave our hero a run for his money. He's bodyguarding for N. Trap to make sure that Crash & his allies don't show up & well, "Crash the party". But something actually seems to be bothering him...

"Cruuunnnch!", says N. Trap, interrupting his thoughts.

He still doesn't budge, though. & so N. Trap's patience starts to wear thin. Despite that, she still tries to keep her composure.

"Are you just going to brood with the silent treatment like a stereotypical brute henchman with anger issues the whole time?", she says.

"Grrr.", Crunch finally speaks with a loud, but brief grunt, slightly startling N. Trap. He says to her, "I feel like that little orange field rat isn't too far behind."

"Do not worry about him.", she assures. "You have already made short work of that fool. If he ever rears his messy head again, he'll have you & Cortex's brand-new array of Lab-Assistant 2.0 robots to go up against! He'd be foolish to come after us again."

"Yeah, I know.", he responds. "But Cortex is always going on about how he's always overcoming these impossible odds that he throws his way."

Not wanting to let his creator down, Crunch swears an oath.

"I swear, next time I see Crash Bandicoot, I'm putting his lil' butt in the dirt for good.", he says.

"That's more like it!", N. Trap cheers as she pats Crunch on his humongous shoulder. "Serious & focused you is best you!"

N. Trap then turns her attention back to the situation at hand.

"Lab-Assistants!", she shouts. "Gather up any remaining bandicoots you can find!" "Chop-chop!"

Elsewhere in the Tasmanian habitat, Crash, Aku Aku, & Bandicute finally arrive on the land after a long boat-ride from their island home, N. Sanity Island. While advancing to where they need to head to, Crash is in the meantime waiting to hear from his kidnapped sister Coco on his Bandroid to see if she's okay. He sent her a "worried" emoji from the Crashmoji app 30 minutes ago, with no response as of yet.

"Don't worry, Crash.", says Aku Aku. "Your sister is a strong girl, I'm sure she's okay...for now. We need to hurry along, though. there's no telling what Cortex plans to do with her."

While scouring the area, Aku Aku picks up the presence of N. Trap, Crunch, & Cortex's minions nearby.

"Dr. N. Trap & Crunch. They're not too far from here.", says Aku Aku. "There are more than dozens of bandicoots scattering away from Dr. Cortex's Lab Assistants! They're trying to poach them, hurt them even!"

"Oh!", yells a worried Crash.

Everyone rushes to the scene of the illegal activity. They hide behind trees & tall grass in order not to be spotted. Crash is tired of watching all of this happen. Angered & determined, he attempts to rush in, but Aku Aku stops him.

"Wait, stand back, you two!", he whispers. "These newer Lab Assistant models seem to have newly-implemented, state-of-the-art proximity sensors."

While Aku Aku explains what's going on, Bandicute looks on & is shocked by the sight of his species being persecuted.

Aku Aku continues, "If they spot any fresh bandicoot they haven't yet seen within their proximity, their alarms will-"

& before he could even finish, Bandicute, not willing to stand by & watch his kind get treated this way, rushes towards danger to try & help his bandicoot brethren. He is instantly spotted by the L.A.s.

"RENEGADE BANDICOOT SIGHTED. ENGAGING CAPTURE PROTOCOL."

"...go off.", Aku Aku finishes. "Bandicute, wait!"

All of this, of course, gets the attention of both Crunch & N. Trap.

"Well, that didn't take long.", says N. Trap. "Time to move, Lab Assistants!"

She then looks to Crunch & tells him, "You know what to do."

He cracks his knuckles in anticipation while also cracking a smirk.

Crash tries to save Bandicute & the other bandicoots, but Crunch wastes no time getting in his way. The two of them finally meet each other face to face. The burgundy bandibrute stands tall over the orange hero, analyzing him up & down with loud scoffs afterwards.

"I can't believe you're the creature who keeps sabotaging the master's plans.", he says to him.

"Oh, don't worry. Me & the good doctors are gonna take real-good care of all your little buddies."

"Toropit'sya!"(Make haste), shouts N. Trap to the L.A.s.

Aku Aku yells for both of his sons, "Crash! Bandicute!"

With everything going on, Crash looks to make a big distraction. He looks Crunch in the eyes & stares him down to keep his attention.

"You got somethin' you wanna say?", says Crunch.

Just then, Crash teases Crunch with his tongue out at him.

"RRAAAUUUGH! WHY YOU LITTLE-"

The crazy orange marsupial turns tail & runs away, leaving Crunch to chase after him. Back with the Lab Assistants, Bandicute tries to free his brethren from their cages, but the L.A.s surround him.

"STOP RESISTING."

"HOLD STILL."

& just before any of the minions could lay a robotic finger on Bandicute, Crash swoops him up & runs past them all. Then Crunch, who wasn't far behind, rams through most of the L.A.s, knocking them out of the way & even smashing them to bits & pieces in the process.

"Watch the expendable henchman tech!", yells N. Trap.

A head from one of the robots flies into the arms of another.

"HEELLP. MEEeeee- *shuts down*"

"EUURRRAAAAGGGGHHHH!", yells the other L.A. in shock.

Crash hijacks a jeep that holsters some of the caged bandicoots & freed bandicoots in the cargo-net trunk.

"HEY!", shouts N. Trap. "HE'S GETTING AWAY WITH THE BANDICOOTS! AFTER HIM!"

"These creatures are NOT your properties!" proclaims Aku Aku. "Crash, start the engines!"

The good guys take off & leave the bad guys in the dust. Not too long after, N. Trap scoops up Crunch in their vehicle to chase after them.

"They're not gonna stop until Tasmania is cleared of bandicoots.", says Aku Aku. "We need to get these little guys as far away from those goons. But how?"

Crash thinks hard for a solution. He starts remembering what Coco told him about the Bandroid's features, including the one that caught his eye the most & the one Coco said wasn't ready yet.

"_Oh, that one's still in the testing stages. I don't really know what I'm going to use it for, but I can say that it can work on almost anything to anyone! It'll prove to be very useful!"_

"Are you sure?", Aku Aku asks. "Your sister said that this was still in the testing phases."

A confident Crash nods his head yes.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, & Crash finally calls in, "**The 'Cruiter"**. This device is a giant magnet equipped with a satellite. With it, you can type in the command input of whatever's nearby or within reaching distance you want the magnet to reel in, & the device will automatically magnetize whatever you typed in for the satellite to track down. Coco has at least 10,000 things installed for the 'Cruiter to work on. (& counting!)

"Well you can't have the phone & drive, you know!", Aku Aku says. "I'll take the wheel! Type in 'B-a-n-d-i-c-o-o-t'! Quick!"

Once Crash types in the command, the magnet automatically picks up any nearby bandicoots. All of the kidnapped little bilbies are lifted from their cages & are now within the 'cruiter's grasp. Bandicute jumps up & down with glee. "EEEEE!", he goes.

"NOOO!", yells N. Trap. "Curse your contraptions of convenience, Crash!"

Unfortunately, due to the amount of bandicoots that the 'cruiter has picked up (which is quite a bunch), the weight of them altogether slows down the jeep from 60mph to 10mph, leaving Crash & his friends open for the bad guys to catch up.

"Uh oh", says Crash.

"They're slowing down!", Crunch says. "Now's my chance."

"This is not good.", says Aku Aku.

With Crunch closing in along with N. Trap & the Lab Assistants by his side, Crash makes a last ditch effort to get the baddies off his back. He types in another unknown command for the 'cruiter. Crunch closes in on Crash. He growls at him:

"No more tricks, runt. This time, it's o-"

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise starts to fade in. The ground shakes, & everybody turns around to see...

"Oh no."

...Dozens of boulders roll in from the mountains & cliffs & send the baddies running in panic.

"EUURRRAAAAGGGGHHHH!", goes all of the Lab Assistants.

They all get crushed & put out of commission, their vehicles get destroyed, & N. Trap gets a taste of her own medicine, along with Crunch, with the both of them getting trapped by big rocks. & just before the boulders could reach Crash & co., Crash wisely cancels the magnetic pull before they could get crushed. Aku Aku, relieved, takes the time to gloat.

"Looks like you're no longer the only one efficient in making traps, Netra!", he says to her.

"Hahaha!", goes Crash.

N. Trap grunts & moans under her breath, too defeated to muster up a legit response.

& Crunch, battered & bruised from the brutal boulders, desperately tries to crawl out from all the rocks. His body halfway out, he tries to reach for Crash with his right arm.

"If you think for...one second...that I won't get out of- *COUGHS*"

"This should hold you two for a while.", Aku Aku says. "Now, if you excuse us, we have the scheme of a certain evil scientist to stop. C'mon, Crash! Don't forget Bandicute!"

Crash grabs Bandicute & heads back to the jeep. All of a sudden, the jeep comes apart due to the weight of all the bandicoots they've rescued. They all break out of their cages & run freely around them, no longer held captive.

"Well, that's unfortunate.", says Aku Aku.

"Awww.", says Crash.

"I can try to teleport us straight to the carnival, but something is interfering with my powers, I don't yet know what it is. The best I can do is take us straight to Wumptropolis, we'll most likely be able to get there before the event starts."

Crash looks for Bandicute in the crowd of other bandicoots running about while Aku Aku prepares them all for magical transportation. He then tells him,

"We need to keep all of these other bandicoots safe from the rest of Cortex's henchmen. It's no longer safe here in Tasmania right now with everything that's going on."

Once Crash picks up Bandicute, he joins Aku Aku in brainstorming where they're going to shelter the unevolved bandicoots.

"Hmmmm", goes Crash.

"Hmmmm", mimics Bandicute.

"Hmmm, where are we going to keep them?"


End file.
